Proposed gay-bias ban
The Indianapolis Star reports today, “Advocates seek to revive proposed gay-bias ban.”
The battle over a proposal to ban discrimination against gays in the workplace and housing market in Marion County is quietly heating up, nearly five months after local officials voted against the idea.
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A proposal to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity failed in an 18-11 City-County Council vote in April that crossed party lines.
Current laws protect all workers from discrimination based on race, religion, age and several other factors. The anti-discrimination ordinance would protect gay and transgender people from being fired or denied housing because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In the spring the Human Rights Commission recommended to the City Council that they add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s Human Rights Ordinance. Indianapolis Councillors Nytes and Keller proposed the ordinance amending the Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County by amending Chapter 581, Human Relations, Equal Opportunity to provide for the following (additions underlined).
Every contract to which one (1) of the parties is the city or the county, or any board, department or office of either the city or county, including franchises granted to public utilities, shall contain a provision requiring the governmental contractor and subcontractors not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment in the performance of the contract, with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions or privileges of employment, or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment, because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age,
handicap, disability, disabled veteran status and Vietnam era veteran status. Breach of this provision may be regarded as a material breach of the contract.
Advance America released this statement in response. GayIndy.org has posted a resolution in support of the newest proposal. The resolution was authored by the Indy Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.
